It Made Me Sad #SOL

It made me sad.

There he was.

In the cross walk with his family.

I stopped to let them cross — Abbey Road style — safely.

Sunhatted mother charging ahead, map in hand, father, older brother.

He,  mid to late teens.

A glorious mid-August afternoon.

Concord Center bustling with summertime busyness.

Revolutionary tourists, shoppers, kids on their way home from camp.

Suddenly he turned, making eye contact with me.

Such a serious face, scowl-like. Head hung. Troubled.

It made me sad.

Not the face of a joyful teenager on vacation.

It made me sad.

And then I noticed the t-shirt: “Trump for President!”

It made me sad.

Charlottesville just 3 days past.

It made me sad.

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Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving me the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life each Tuesday. And for giving me a break from setting up my classroom. Won’t you join us?